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DISCLAIMER!: This is a “progress” post. It is not a “finished/pretty/look-at-me” post. The dregs from the bottoms of my moving boxes are still lurking about in my apartment, without a home to be tucked away in, and there is no art on the walls yet. Please use your rose colored glasses when you check out these pics. Merci beaucoup.

The fact of the matter in all apartment living is that great furniture arrangement is both difficult and vital. Correct placement of the larger items in your home helps to maximize whatever space you have (or at least it plays tricks on your eyes to make the space LOOK bigger). However, city dwellers are always contending with structural obstacles. You need to place your lamps near outlets so that you’re not living in a web of extension cords. Your dresser can’t get up close enough the the corner of your bedroom because there’s a wall bump-out for plumbing or electrical. The one wall that fits your couch also houses your air conditioner, causing that to be blocked. The list of potential interior design issues is endless in apartment living.

I’d sort of figured that if I could arrange all of my large pieces in a studio apartment, then going back to a 1BR would be cake. But by the time my sister came to visit last weekend, the schematics of my home still seemed “off”. Granted, there were residual boxes sitting around and a giant bookcase lying face down on the middle of the living room floor (more on that later).

But my sister, Sar, is a gal of many talents, and having arranged her own small studio apartment in DC, she was able to lend a hand. Plus, a fresh set of eyes on a conundrum never hurts. After humming and hawing over my obnoxiously boxy overstuffed chair (it is ALWAYS the problem child in my collection of furniture), this is what we came up with for the living room:

For the kitchen, I just copied the set-up that the last folks had because it worked (the white bins are just hanging around because they don’t have a permanent, concealed spot yet):

The bathroom didn’t require any arranging, with the exception of towels and accessories:
The bedroom posed the largest problem. Sar and I moved the furniture to seemingly every conceivable position. The bedroom space is actually quite large, but I have an extra piece of furniture that I always love to incorporate into the set-up. It’s an antique chaise from good old Aunt Betty, and it’s my most prized possession. Unfortunately, a queen-size bed, a large dresser, AND a chaise lounge are a lot for any bedroom to hold. So, each time I’d set things up in the bedroom last weekend, I’d sit there and think, “Now, THIS could work…oh shit, the chaise has to go somewhere.” And then I’d be back at square one. Agent Owens will laugh as he reads this because he despises the chaise and always tells me there’s no place for extraneous furniture in apartment living. I always beg to differ. Still, after a half-dozen failed arrangements, this is what I came up with:

I’m happy with everything the way it’s placed now, but there are no guarantees that I won’t look around one day and decide to shuffle everything. I’m secretly hoping my designer friend and colleague, Joe, will come over one day and use his creative genius to tell me where everything SHOULD go.

So, there you have it. The new digs. As I mentioned and as you can see there are still piles of junk still lying around: papers I still need to sort through, oddly shaped objects that I need to find a home for, art that’s waiting to go up on the walls. One of these days when I look around and notice that everything is tidy and in its rightful place, I’ll post new shots. Until then I’ll be on the phone fighting with the 163268995367834th representative I’ve spoken to from Time Warner Cable, who’s surely still proving to be useless. Over a week without cable and internet, in the year 2011, just seems cruel. And ridiculous.

Anyone have any furniture arranging debacles of there own? Anyone see any obvious flaws in my set-up that I’ve missed? Speak up and help a girl out!

Cheers!

what’s the deal?

Whether you’re just out of college and starting a new job, relocating on a whim, or moving after years in the city, navigating New York City’s neighborhoods and real estate market can be quite an adventure. Here you’ll find tales of HELL YEAH's and OH NOOOO's from a city lover who’s been both the naïve renter and the savvy agent. Commiserate with me, ask questions, and maybe find a few tips to help you look before you leap. Happy city living!

Disclaimer

All information on Happy City Living is solely the opinion of the author. Nothing found here should be considered legal advice. These posts are merely personal experiences and musings, and the author is not intending to serve as a real estate agent for readers, via this blog.